Writing in a preview of single ‘The Waves and What’s Under‘ back in July, we described the wide ranging career of cellist and composer Lori Goldston. From touring with Nirvana and collaborating with David Byrne and The Wedding Present to scoring a number of films, operas and dance performances, Goldston has applied her creative visions across a range of forms. This plasticity extends to the genre of her work too, blurring the line between classical, folk and post-rock to create moods both poignant and tempestuous.
As the title suggests, this duality of mood is a key feature of Lori Goldston’s new album, High and Low, out via SofaBurn. Though the diversity of her experience certainly informs the release, the sound is pared back to two key elements. What the label describes as “eulogic solo improvised cello pieces” (the “High”) as well as “cantankerous improvised duo performances” (which comprise the “Low”). This “Low” half of the album was conceived and performed with drummer Dan Sasaki and was inspired by images of subterranean exploration and destruction. The pair found, without even discussing it, they were both envisioning the same scene, what Goldston describes as “dirt, mud, rocks, fossils, artifacts, saltwater, giant machines, all grinding around together.” The suitably titled ‘Moving Soil’ is perhaps the best example, Goldston’s cello transformed into a motorised rattle as it coughs dust and dirt.
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The album’s “High” side was captured on the ‘The Waves and What’s Under’, just one of the pieces on the record written for and toward the late Geneviève Elverum, where an ethereal weightlessness looks to suspend a loved one—both to relieve them of the burden of suffering and to maintain their presence in the world. This endeavour is one held across the solo pieces, a kind of amalgamation of healing, remembrance, and mourning, looking to preserve what needs preserving, while also being willing to let go. The culmination of this endeavour is the intensely moving closer ‘We Miss You and Wish You Well’, a track which not only reflects on Elverum’s passing but guides her skyward, as captured by Clyde Petersen’s video accompaniment.
High and Low is out on the 7th October via SofaBurn and you can get it from the Lori Goldston Bandcamp page.